Wife of slain Missouri Klan leader says she pulled trigger, not son

FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) – The wife of a slain Missouri Ku Klux Klan leader says in a letter from jail that she was the one who pulled the trigger, not her son.

Malissa Ancona -photo St Francois County Jail

Malissa Ancona and her son, Paul Edward Jinkerson Jr., face charges that include first-degree murder in the death of Frank Ancona, who called himself an “imperial wizard” of the Ku Klux Klan.

She agreed last year to testify against her son. She originally told police that Jinkerson shot his stepfather after he asked her for a divorce. The body of the 51-year-old was found in February 2017 outside of Belgrade, which is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) miles south of St. Louis.

Barnhart rejected a plea deal with prosecutors. Jinkerson’s trial is set for May.